I. Absolute Priority1 II. Competitive Priorities · • Partnering with organizations such as...

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Table of Contents

I. Absolute Priority..........................................................................................................1

II. Competitive Priorities ................................................................................................1 Competitive Preference Priority 1 – Promoting Diversity ............................................................................ 1 Competitive Preference Priority 2 – School Improvement .......................................................................... 4 Competitive Preference Priority 3 – Novice Applicant ................................................................................. 5

III. Selection Criteria .......................................................................................................5 (a) Quality of the Eligible Applicant .............................................................................................................. 5 (b) Contribution in assisting educationally disadvantaged students .......................................................... 11 (c) Quality of the evaluation plan ............................................................................................................... 15 (d) Quality of the management plan and personnel .................................................................................. 19

IV. Application Requirements......................................................................................35 (a) Evidence of multiple schools ................................................................................................................. 35 (b) School Information ............................................................................................................................... 37 (c) Compliance ............................................................................................................................................ 37 (d) Logic Model ........................................................................................................................................... 37 (e) Educational Program ............................................................................................................................. 39 (f) Central Office Operations ...................................................................................................................... 45 (g) Continued Operation of Charter Schools .............................................................................................. 47 (h) Parent and community involvement .................................................................................................... 48 (i) Student Recruitment Procedures ........................................................................................................... 50 (j) Complying with IDEA .............................................................................................................................. 55 (k) Supporting Acadmeic Mastery .............................................................................................................. 58 (l) Use of Grant Funds ................................................................................................................................ 58 (m) Waivers ................................................................................................................................................ 58

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I. Absolute Priority

The Great Oaks Foundation currently supports a network of four charter schools,

all of which serve a significant number of economically disadvantaged students. Great

Oaks Charter Schools use free or reduced-price lunch eligibility to determine the

number of students who are individuals from low-income families. Between 69% and

91% of students at each school qualify as economically disadvantaged, and across our

network an average of 86% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Free and Reduced Lunch Enrollment at Great Oaks Charter Schools

School Grades # Students % Free and Reduced Lunch

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School Pre K - 12 1,355 91%

Great Oaks - Bridgeport 6-8 324 81%

Great Oaks - New York City 6-8 210 69%

Great Oaks - Wilmington 6-7 343 80%

II. Competitive Priorities

Competitive Preference Priority 1 – Promoting Diversity

Great Oaks Charter Schools reflect the diversity of the communities in which they

operate.

At Great Oaks Charter School – New York City (GO – NYC), 13.5% of students

are Asian or Asian American, 25.5% are African American, and 56.8% are Latino. GO-

NYC offers a lottery preference to English Language Learners, and just under half of

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our students come from families where a language other than English is spoken at

home.

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School’s (GOLCS) students are predominantly

African American (90%) and Latino (10%). In Bridgeport, about half of our students

(47.8%) are African American, and about half are Latino (46.6%). Like GO – NYC,

Great Oaks – Bridgeport (GO – BPT) offers a lottery preference for ELLs. Currently,

16% of students are English Language Learners, and over 50% live in a home where a

language other than English is spoken. At Great Oaks-Wilmington (GO-WIL), 72.9% of

students are African American, 17.5% are Latino, and 7.9% are White.

Great Oaks Charter Schools strive to reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation by:

• Hiring educators who represent the diversity of local and global communities: the

current 270-member Great Oaks Tutor Corps is 45% African American, 33%

White, 14% Latino, and 5% Asian or Asian American, and Corps members speak

21 languages;

• Partnering with organizations such as Kunskapsskolan Education (KED), a

network that supports schools across Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East,

to expose students to peers and educators across the world and innovative

pedagogical practices;

• Conducting field trips – primarily to colleges and universities outside of their cities

– to broaden students’ experiential base;

• Exposing children to a wide range of culturally sensitive, non-biased materials;

• Preparing students to compete in the global marketplace as productive adults.

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Additionally, Great Oaks creates an environment that pushes students from a wide

variety of racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds to engage in thought-provoking

lessons on diversity and tolerance. Students from different backgrounds are also

encouraged to lead clubs or discussions celebrating their culture.

Great Oaks – New York City and Great Oaks – Bridgeport recruit students both

in English and in the predominant languages spoken in their respective communities,

including Chinese and Spanish; canvass in non-English speaking neighborhoods; and

have staff members fluent in other languages available to speak with prospective

parents. GO – NYC and GO – BPT implement an effective, research-based program

that uses high-quality classroom instruction, extensive professional development for

educators, and high-dosage daily tutoring to help students who are ELLs reach English

proficiency and ultimately achieve college success.

The Great Oaks Tutor Corps is a powerful force in meeting the range of students’

needs. Great Oaks actively recruits tutors who are fluent in languages other than

English, enabling our schools to connect with students and their families in their native

language. Many students who live in a home where a foreign language is spoken are

not officially classified as ELLs by the time they reach Great Oaks, yet they possess

significant gaps in vocabulary and in English proficiency. If these gaps are not

addressed by high school, SAT and ACT scores suffer, limiting students’ options for

college and in life. Having tutors who can identify these gaps early allows for immediate

remediation. This strategy has been highly effective at GO – NYC and GO – BPT.

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Competitive Preference Priority 2 – School Improvement

In the 2016-2017 academic year, Great Oaks Charter School – Newark merged

with the Newark Legacy Charter School to serve an additional 700 students for a

combined total enrollment of 1,355 students in grades PK – 12. Early results indicate

that the merger has facilitated significant academic growth for students who previously

attended the predecessor Newark Legacy Charter School. The newly formed entity,

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School (GOLCS), uses the Achievement Network (A-Net)

assessments to gauge student progress toward proficiency on the State mandated

PARCC assessment. Historically, students who exceed average scores of 50% on A-

Net assessments have a high likelihood of attaining proficiency on PARCC. On this

year’s first A-Net assessment, 59% of 7th graders who previously attended Newark

Legacy scored above 50% in ELA and 43% scored above 50% in Math. This compares

favorably to their 2015-2016 PARCC proficiency rates of 39.2% in ELA and 32.5% in

Math. The merger has exposed Newark Legacy’s students to the benefits provided by

GOLCS’s 110-member Tutor Corps; a culture of high expectations; and rigorous,

aligned PK – 12 curricula.

Newark Legacy Student Performance after Merger with Great Oaks

ELA Math

Student

Grade

A1 % Greater

than 50

Cohort SY15-16

PARCC Pass Rate

A1 % Greater

than 50

Cohort SY15-16

PARCC Pass Rate

6 59% 37% 68% 27%

7 59% 39% 43% 33%

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Prior to the merger, Newark Legacy engaged in a turnaround effort through which it

assumed 480 seats from the now-defunct Madison Elementary School prior to the 2014-

2015 school year. Students who previously attended Madison benefitted greatly: their

proficiency rates increased from 11% for ELA and 20% for Math on the NJ ASK to

39.2% and 32.5% on PARCC, which is widely considered a more rigorous assessment.

Both Madison and Legacy’s students now stand to gain much from Great Oaks Charter

Schools.

Competitive Preference Priority 3 – Novice Applicant

Not Applicable. The Great Oaks Foundation does not qualify as a Novice

Applicant.

III. Selection Criteria

(a) Quality of the Eligible Applicant 1. Success in Increasing Academic Achievement

At Great Oaks Legacy, our network’s flagship school, students have consistently

demonstrated some of the greatest year-over-year academic gains in the State of New

Jersey. Student proficiency, as indicated by the PARCC exam, improves with each year

spent at Great Oaks: in 2015-2016, 8th graders outperformed the national pass rate by

over 20% in Math and 6% in ELA. By 11th grade, students demonstrate a high degree of

college readiness, scoring in the 90th percentile in ELA and 84th percentile in Math in

New Jersey last year.

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Students at our schools have yet to matriculate to college. However, the first

class of seniors at Great Oaks Legacy will graduate this year. GOLCS seniors have

received over 360 letters of acceptance to four-year colleges and universities and over

$9MM in offers for financial aid and scholarships. Every one of our high school seniors

has been accepted to college, and we expect 100% of them to matriculate in the fall.

Great Oaks Student Performance on 2015-2016 PARCC Math Assessment

Grade

GOLCS Newark Public

Schools

NJ All

PARCC States

GOLCS +/- NPS

GOLCS +/- NJ

GOLCS +/-

National

6 43.1% 18.6% 42.9% 32.5% 19.2% -5.1% 5.3%

7 41.7% 17.4% 38.7% 28.7% 24.3% 3.0% 13.0%

8 46.9% 19.6% 25.6% 25.9% 27.3% 21.3% 21.0%

Algebra 1 49.5% 25.0% 41.2% 32.5% 24.5% 8.3% 17.0%

Algebra 2 55.6% 6.8% 25.1% 23.2% 48.8% 30.5% 32.4%

Geometry 20.5% 5.9% 27.0% 27.1% 14.6% -6.5% -6.6%

Our students in Bridgeport enter Great Oaks with significant academic

deficiencies. In 2014-2015, the school’s first year of operation, 6th graders entered

having tested in the bottom one percentile of the State of Connecticut in both Math and

ELA. In 2015-2016, students’ academic growth rates far exceeded those of their peers

in the host district and across the State. Proficiency rates on the Smarter Balanced

Assessment (SBAC) increased 7.5% compared to 3.3% for the State and 1.15% in

Bridgeport Public Schools. Similar to students at GOLCS, students at GO – BPT are

performing better the longer they are enrolled at our school: 7th graders’ ELA proficiency

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increased 12% over the previous year, and their growth in Math more than doubled that

of students across the state. Growth rates for Black and Latino students exceeded state

averages in both subjects in similarly large numbers. Students in all grades

demonstrated an average of 1.5 years of growth as indicated by the Fountas and

Pinnell literacy assessment and NWEA MAP assessment for math. Additionally, many

students improved from a score of 1 to 2 on the SBAC, indicating they are closing the

achievement gap and tracking toward proficiency. GO – BPT outperformed the

Bridgeport School District on the State Education Department’s 2015-2016 Next

Generation Accountability Report, a framework used to assess the overall performance

of public schools across Connecticut. The report also showed that high needs students

at Great Oaks achieved state-wide growth targets at rates that exceeded state averages

in both Math and ELA.

GO-BPT 7th Grade Student Growth1 on SBAC Assessment All Students Low Income Black Latino State Average

ELA Growth 12% 12.1% 8.7% 11.6% 3.4%

Math Growth 7% 3.6% 5.3% 7.1% 3.2%

At GO-NYC, 8th graders outperformed their peers across the state on the New

York State ELA and Math Exams by margins of 10% and 9%, respectively. Their ELA

proficiency rates grew by nearly 29%, more than double the state average of 11.9%. As

per state law, GO – NYC gives admissions preference to students from the surrounding

1 Throughout this proposal, unless otherwise specified, student growth refers to the percentage of students who moved from non-proficient to proficient or vice versa.

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school district (see Section IV(i) for more information on school lottery procedures).

Prior to the 2015-2016 school year, the State Education Department re-classified the

school as serving a different, lower performing school district. As a result, we have

witnessed a trend of students entering 6th grade with greater academic deficits.

However, just over halfway through this school year, under the direction of a new

Executive Director and Director of Curriculum and Instruction, students in all grades

have already demonstrated an average of over one year of reading growth on the

Fountas and Pinnell literacy assessment. According to internal benchmark assessment

data, students are also on track to outperform district Math proficiency rates by healthy

margins.

GO-NYC 8th Grade ELA Growth and Proficiency vs. State (2015-2016)

GO-NYC NY State Average

All Students

Low Income

Students

with IEPs

ELL2

All Students

Low

Income

Students

with IEPs

ELL

Proficiency 50.8% 55% 27% - 40.9% 31% 8% 2%

Growth 29% 35% 27% - 11.9% 12% 4% 1%

In Great Oaks – Wilmington’s first year of operation in 2015-2016, 100% percent

of students earned a higher raw score on the ELA SBAC than they did the previous

year, and 89% earned a higher score in Math. Their raw score growth of 29 points in

ELA and 12 points in Math were greater than the state averages of 17 and 6 points.

While absolute student proficiency rates remained relatively stagnant, the percentage of

2 Data not available due to subgroup size.

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students who scored a 1 at their previous schools decreased from 50% to 41% in ELA

and 60% to 54% in Math after a year of education at Great Oaks, indicating a positive

track toward proficiency.

2. Success in Educating Disadvantaged Students

A large majority of students at Great Oaks schools qualify as educationally

disadvantaged, and many of them are outperforming their peer groups in their

respective states.

• Students from Low-Income Backgrounds at Great Oaks Charter Schools

o In 2015-2016, low-income students at GOLCS outperformed low-income

students in New Jersey in both Math and ELA in every grade.

Low Income Student Performance – GOLCS vs. State of New Jersey (2016)

ELA

Grade 6 7 8 9 10 11

GOLCS 41.1% 41.8% 50.9% 43.4% 31.4% 69.7%

NJ 33% 37% 38% 31% 30% 33%

Math

Grade 6 7 8 Algebra 1 Geometry Algebra 2

GOLCS 45.2% 43.9% 50.9% 63% 32% 17.6%

NJ 23% 21% 18% 23% 12% 10%

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tho Low-income 8 graders at GO-NYC were 24% more proficient in Math and

16% more proficient in ELA than their peers in New York State. Their

proficiency growth rate in ELA was nearly triple the growth rate of low-

income students across the state.

• English Language Learners and Students with Special Learning Needs at Great

Oaks Charter Schools

o Proficiency rates for GO – NYC’s large cohort of IEP/504 students were

more than double those of students with IEP or 504 plans in New York

State. 60% of ELL 7th graders were proficient in Math compared to 8% in

the State.

o For all grades for which we have data, GOLCS students with special

learning needs outperformed their counterparts across New Jersey.

o At GO-BPT, 6th grade IEP/504 students grew 6% in Math, twice the State

average rate of 3.2%, and 6th grade ELLs grew 10% in Math, nearly

tripling average state growth.

See Appendix G for a complete overview of Great Oaks Charter Schools

academic and demographic data.

3. Fiscal, Regulatory, and Compliance Standing

Great Oaks Charter Schools have encountered minimal fiscal, regulatory, or

compliance-related challenges, and each school has received or is on track to receive

charter renewal from its respective authorizer.

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We have established financial planning procedures and a fundraising strategy to

ensure the long-term sustainability of our network. Independent auditors have

consistently determined that the Foundation and schools maintain appropriate

accounting practices. No school has had its charter revoked or its affiliation with Great

Oaks terminated, and no school has been closed.

(b) Contribution in assisting educationally disadvantaged students

Great Oaks Charter Schools are predicated on a model of high expectations and

robust support. Our schools serve students with special learning needs at proportions

comparable to or greater than those of their host districts (see table below). We pride

ourselves on our ability to provide the academic interventions and individualized

attention necessary to prepare every student for success in college and beyond.

Great Oaks Charter Schools IEP, ELL, and Low-Income Demographics Students with

IEPs

ELL Low Income

Students

Great Oaks Legacy (2016-17) 12% 2% 90.6%

Newark Public Schools (2015-16) 15.6% 10.4% 78.6%

Great Oaks - Wilmington (2016-17) 19% 3.3% 80%

Christina School District (2016-17) 19% 9% 44%

Great Oaks - Bridgeport (2016-17) 17% 16% 81%

Bridgeport Public Schools (2015-16) 15% 14% nearly 100%

Great Oaks - New York City (2016-17) 31% 8% 69%

NYC Schools (2015-16) 18.7% 12.5% 76.5%

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As a part of our data-driven instructional culture, Great Oaks schools identify the

needs of our students early in the year and assess progress on an ongoing basis. We

determine a baseline for all students using the Fountas & Pinnell Literacy assessment

for Reading and the NWEA MAP assessment for Math. Through these research-based

assessments, we equip our teachers and school leaders with data to identify students

who are at risk of academic failure and students who are academically gifted. Teacher

observations supplement this formative assessment data in our efforts to identify

struggling students. Throughout the year, our schools track progress with a combination

of assessments, including those produced by the Achievement Network, F&P, and

NWEA, as well as internally developed benchmark exams.

Interim assessments are issued four times per year and are aligned to Common

Core objectives that are measured on year-end state mandated tests. Item analysis is

conducted on each assessment to identify standards with which students are struggling,

and weekly professional development sessions and common planning time support the

modification of instruction to meet the individual needs of students. In addition to two

hours of daily small-group tutoring specifically targeted to their ability level, students

who are at risk of academic failure are eligible to receive teacher-led remediation after

school and during weekends.

While our data-driven culture supports differentiation for all students, Great Oaks

schools have additional supports in place for students with disabilities and English

Language Learners (ELLs). We employ a robust staff of special education teachers,

administrators, and paraprofessionals, as well as educators who possess ELL

endorsements and Structured English Immersion credentials. Students with

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Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) receive instruction in accordance with their

IEP in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for that student. Great Oaks ensures

that students with disabilities receive supports including but not limited to: push-in

services from Special Education teachers; co-teaching in which the Special Education

teacher and general education teacher are both teaching; additional tutoring; and

counseling.

Great Oaks schools use an immersion model for educating ELLs, allowing them

to rapidly gain language skills through peer interaction and English Language

immersion while providing extra supports. Additionally, our schools employ tutors fluent

in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Hatian Creole, and a total of 18 other languages that are

prevalent within and outside of the communities we serve. These tutors are able to

communicate with families and serve the academic needs of students who speak a

language other than English at home.

The Great Oaks Tutor Corps plays a major role in supporting a wide variety of

learning needs. This school year, 270 recent college graduates have dedicated a year

of service to provide almost every Great Oaks student with two hours of tutoring every

school day. Tutor Corps members work with teachers and instructional leaders to

develop lessons that supplement and, where necessary, remediate skills taught in the

classroom.

Tutoring is a proven academic intervention, and it is particularly effective in

closing the achievement gap between low-income students and their wealthier peers. A

recent randomized control study conducted by the University of Chicago Education Lab

analyzed the effects intensive tutoring had on the academic progress of a group of 106

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male 9th and 10th graders at a public high school on the South Side of Chicago, of whom 95% are black and 99% were free or reduced lunch eligible. The group, which had weak

math skills and a track record of disciplinary problems, learned in an eight-month period

the equivalent of what the average American high school student learns in three school

years, measured by standardized test scores.3 Students at Great Oaks schools are

attaining similar outcomes. For example, at Great Oaks – Bridgeport, a school where

students entered with greater academic deficits than the vast majority of their peers in

Connecticut, students made nearly two years of progress in Math during the 2015-2016

school year.

We use subjective and objective data to continuously refine and improve the use

of tutoring. For example, this year, we implemented the Fountas and Pinnell Leveled

Literacy Intervention during ELA tutorials at three of our schools. This program is

designed to turn struggling readers into successful readers with engaging, leveled

books and systematically designed lessons.

Great Oaks will continue to actively recruit educationally disadvantaged students

to enroll at our schools. This involves producing recruitment and enrollment materials in

multiple languages, informing families of the supports we offer to students with IEPs and

academic deficits, working through community-based and faith-based organizations to

get the word out, and canvassing and disseminating school information in low-income

neighborhoods. At Great Oaks – Bridgeport and Great Oaks – New York City, we will

continue to operate a lottery that gives preference to English Language Learners. See

3 Cook, Dodge, Farkas, et. al, “The (Surprising) Efficacy of Academic and Behavioral Intervention with

Disadvantaged Youth: Results from a Randomized Experiment in Chicago,” NBER Working Paper No.

19862, January 2014.

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Section IV(i) for more information on Great Oaks Charter Schools recruitment and

enrollment procedures.

(c) Quality of the evaluation plan

Great Oaks will use CSP funds to support additional seats at our PK – 12 school

in Newark and expansion to grades 9-12 at our schools in New York City, Bridgeport,

and Wilmington. By the end of the project, the Grant will support the addition of 1,930

high quality seats, nearly doubling our student count, and fund the travel, equipment,

supplies, and contracts necessary to support the core elements of Great Oaks

programming: excellent teaching and high-dosage tutoring. This will enable our schools

to provide an exceptional education to a greater number of students. See Section IV(d)

for the program logic model and the Budget Narrative more information on fund usage.

Expansion by Number of High Quality Seats Funded by Charter School Program4

School Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 TOTAL

GOLCS PK – 12 +310 Seats

PK – 12 +100 Seats

PK – 12 +120 Seats

PK – 12 +0 Seats

PK – 12 +0 Seats

PK – 12 +530 Seats

GO – NYC 6 – 8 +0 Seats

6-9 +100 Seats

6-10 +100 Seats

6-11 +100 Seats

6-12 +100 Seats

6 – 12 +400 Seats

GO – BPT 6 – 9 +100 Seats

6 – 10 +150 Seats

6 – 11 +100 Seats

6 – 12 +100 Seats

6 – 12 +100 Seats

6 – 12 +450 Seats

GO – WIL 6 – 8 + 100 Seats

6 – 9 +100 Seats

6 – 10 +100 Seats

6 – 11 +100 Seats

6 – 12 +100 Seats

6 – 12 +500 Seats

TOTAL + 510

Seats

+400

Seats

+420

Seats

+300

Seats

+300

Seats

+1920

Seats

4

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School will add seats in addition to those funded by the Charter School

Program Grant. See forecasts in Appendix H for total projected seat numbers.

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Frequent self-examination is a critical component of a reflective organization

dedicated to continuous improvement. A “growth mindset” – the belief that we can

always do better – is at the core of all our schools. Consistent with that mindset, we will

undergo rigorous self-evaluation every year to highlight areas for improvement and use

the following metrics to evaluate the progress of our project:

Annual Metrics for Project Evaluation

Goal Metric for Assessment Alignment with Long- Term Goals

80% of students will demonstrate 1.5 years of growth in Math and ELA per year OR demonstrate grade level skill by year end.

NWEA RIT or Fountas and Pinnell Reading Score

1.5 years of academic growth will enable students who enter Great Oaks in 6th grade to begin high school at or near grade level.

Average daily attendance will be 95%.

Internal records Increased instructional time is a key predictor of

long-term success.5

95% of families will indicate satisfaction with school programming.

Panorama Parent Survey Parents/guardians who are satisfied with programming are more likely to be involved in school life. Parent/guardian engagement is a predictor of student success.6

90% of teachers will indicate satisfaction with school climate, leadership, staff-family relationships, and staff-leadership relationships.

Panorama Teacher Survey Teachers’ satisfaction with their school community increases teacher retention and student achievement.7

5 Fryer, Roland, “Learning from the Successes and Failures of Charter Schools,” Hamilton Project

Discussion Paper 2012-06, Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press (2012). 6

Henderson, A.T., & Mapp, K.L, “A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and

Community Connections on Student Achievement,” Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development

Laboratory (2002). 7

Gehlback, H., et. al. “Creating Birds of Similar Feathers: Leveraging Similarity to Improve Teacher-

Student Relationships and Academic Achievement,” Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Research Working

Paper Series, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Kennedy School (2015).

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Metrics for Project Evaluation at Completion

Goal Metric for Assessment Alignment with Long- Term Goals

75% of students in Grade 8 will demonstrate proficiency on state mandated Math and ELA exams.

NJ: PARCC Assessment CT and DE: SBAC Assessment

NY: NY State Tests

Proficiency rates will well- exceed averages in all states where Great Oaks operates, indicating students are closing the achievement gap and tracking toward college success.

80% of students who enter Great Oaks high schools will graduate from Great Oaks Charter Schools in four years.

Internal records Retaining students until graduation will increase their exposure to our model and enhances their potential for college success.

95% of graduates will take the SAT or ACT prior to graduation.

College Board records SAT or ACT completion is mandatory for admission to most colleges and universities.

90% of graduates will take at least one AP exam prior to graduation.

College Board records AP program participation is an indicator of college

readiness.8

70% of graduates will earn a score of 480 or higher on the Reading and Writing section of the SAT.

College Board records A score of 480 in Reading and Writing is the College Board’s college readiness benchmark.

70% of graduates will earn a score of 530 or higher on the Math section of the SAT.

College Board records A score of 530 in Math is the College Board’s college readiness benchmark.

70% of graduates will pass at least one Advanced Placement Exam.

College Board records Passing an AP exam is a predictor of college completion, particularly for

low-income minorities.9

95% of graduates will be accepted to and enroll in a four-year college or university.

Internal and college and university records

Students who matriculate to four-year colleges will be on the path to earning a Bachelor’s degree.

8 Mattern, Krista D., Jessica P. Marini, and Emily J. Shaw, "Are AP® Students More Likely to Graduate

from College on Time?” College Board (2013). 9

Ibid.

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50 Great Oaks Tutor Corps members will earn a Master of Arts in Teaching through the Great Oaks Teacher Residency at NYU Steinhardt.

Internal/NYU Steinhardt records

Great Oaks seeks to develop a pipeline of talented educators to serve the communities in which our schools operate.

These metrics are strategically aligned with long-term goals that reflect our

organizational mission: to close the achievement gap by enabling low-income students

to graduate from college at rates that exceed those of their wealthier peers; to

demonstrate the efficacy and proliferate the use of high-dosage tutoring in schools; and

to develop and cultivate a pipeline of highly effective educators to work in urban public

schools, both charter and non-charter.

We will consistently revisit our program metrics on informal and formal bases. At

the end of every school year, each school’s Executive Director and Board of Trustees,

along with Great Oaks Foundation staff, will engage in a strategic review process to

identify areas in which the school is not realizing its vision and to identify potential

adjustments that will enable the school to better achieve its mission of preparing

students for college success. Based on trends that emerge from the strategic review

and recommendations from school and Foundation staff, the Board will make decisions

about leadership changes, fiscal needs, and new programmatic priorities. For example,

if achievement data indicates that students are lagging targets in math, and the math

instructional team indicates that it is struggling to manage the volume of lesson planning

required, the Executive Director and/or the Great Oaks Foundation may recommend a

series of changes that including a shift in teacher scheduling, hiring a part-time coach,

or making personnel changes. The Board would then have the opportunity to ask

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questions, provide feedback, and ultimately adopt the changes. If the Board decides not

to adopt the proposed changes, the Executive Director and/or the Great Oaks

Foundation would propose additional strategies for improvement.

We will also undergo external assessments of our programming by school

leaders and researchers outside of the Great Oaks network. We recently engaged with

Metis Associates, a national research and consulting firm, to discuss the possibility of

conducting a randomized control trial to determine the impact of high dosage tutoring in

Great Oaks schools.

By continuously revisiting our short- and mid-term goals, we will ensure our

students remain on the path to college success.

(d) Quality of the management plan and personnel

(1) Management Plan Objectives and Timeline

Since Great Oaks Charter Schools’ last application for CSP funds, we have grown from a network consisting of two recently opened schools and a fledgling CMO to

one that is composed of four schools; over 2,200 students; 149 teachers; 270 tutors;

and a central office providing academic, operational, and fiscal support. Over the next

five years, we will transition to a sustainable and robust organization as our schools

reach full enrollment. Throughout this period, we will remain focused on the three

components of the mission of the Great Oaks Foundation: to prepare students for

college success, to train highly effective classroom teachers, and to invest in the

communities in which our schools operate. This has and will continue to necessitate

growth that, while steady, is above all deliberate and thoughtful.

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Q1=July-September, Q2=October-December, Q3=January-March, Q4=April-June

Major Activities and Milestones Staff

Responsible

Timeline10

Determine project goals, baseline, and timeline

CEO, COO, CFO, and Chief Academic Officer

Pre-Project

Establish project budget CFO and COO Pre-Project

Inform key stakeholders of project priorities and timeline

CEO and COO Pre-Project

Determine school and Foundation staffing necessary to bring project to fruition

CEO, CAO, and Director of Talent and Recruitment

Pre-Project

MILESTONE: PROJECT GOALS, PRIORITIES, AND TIMELINE ESTABLISHED

Collect baseline data Director of Development and Development Associate

Q1 Annually

Establish systems for data collection and project monitoring

COO, DOD, and DA

Q1-Q2 Annually

Inform and update schools, Board members, and other stakeholders on project priorities

CEO and COO Q1-Q2 Annually

MILESTONE: SYSTEMS FOR PROJECT EVALUATION AND DATA COLLECTION ESTABLISHED

Determine leadership and staff hiring needs necessary for school and Foundation expansion

CEO, CAO, DTR, and School Leaders

Q2-Q3 Annually

Recruit and hire personnel for school and Foundation expansion, including new leaders, teachers, and Tutor Corps Members

CAO, DTR, and School Leaders

Q2-Q4 Annually

Recruit students to fill expanded seats

School Leaders Q1-Q3 Annually

Secure facility space necessary for expansion

COO and CEO Q2-Q3 Annually

10 Note: The first year of the project will not begin until Q2 of 2017, when Great Oaks’ current CSP grant is

completed. However, to ensure that we remain on track for project goals, we will conduct Q1 activities as

a part of our pre-project work during 2017.

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Conduct facility improvements and order equipment and materials necessary for expansion

COO and School Leaders

Q3-Q4 Annually

MILESTONE: HUMAN CAPITAL, FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, AND MATERIALS ATTAINED

Track project expenses and provide financial reports to Boards

CFO and Director of Finance and Human Resources

Q1-Q4 Annually

Establish annual budget, including for use of project funds

CEO, CFO, and Director of Finance and Human Resources

Q3-Q4 Annually

MILESTONE: PROJECT FINANCIAL TRACKING AND BUDGETING ACCOMPLISHED

Train leaders, teachers, and Tutor Corps members

CAO, National Tutor Corps Director, and Director of Teaching and Learning

Q1 Annually

Provide ongoing professional development to key school personnel

CAO, NTCD, DTL, and COO

Q1-Q4 Annually

MILESTONE: KEY PERSONNEL DEVELOPED

Collect data for project evaluation DOD and DA Q3-Q4 Annually

Evaluate project progress and modify accordingly

CEO, COO, CAO, and CFO, School Leaders, and Board Members

Q3-Q4 Annually

Disseminate results of replication activities to US DOE, Board members, and other partners and stakeholders

CEO and COO Q4 Annually or as otherwise required

MILESTONE: ALL PROJECT MILESTONES, OJECTIVES, AND GOALS ACCOMPLISHED

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(2) Key Personnel

The project will be supported by a large and diverse team at the Great Oaks

Foundation and across our network. These key personnel bring a range of experiences

and perspectives. All have a strong background in education, and many were involved

in managing previous funding from the Department of Education.

Key Foundation Staff

Michael Thomas Duffy, President of the Great Oaks Foundation, will serve as

the project director. Under his leadership, the Great Oaks network has grown to include

four public charter schools in the Northeast. He has created advanced education and

professional development partnerships with NYU Steinhardt and the Relay Graduate

School of Education and facilitated the completion of Teacher’s Village, a $149MM

redevelopment project that encompasses charter schools, teacher and tutor housing,

and retail space in Newark, NJ. Additionally, he has expanded the Great Oaks

Foundation to increase services and programs delivered to Great Oaks students,

families, and schools. Currently, Mr. Duffy is working on implementing new initiatives

that will expand Great Oaks’ impact on the communities where our schools are located,

and he is developing strategies to strengthen the organization’s use of data to improve

outcomes throughout the Great Oaks network.

Mr. Duffy has long been a champion of education, and he previously served as

the Director of the New York City Department of Education’s Charter School Office

during Joel Klein’s tenure as Chancellor. Prior to this position, he was the Executive

Director of City on a Hill Charter Public School, a small college-prep high school in

Boston. As Executive Director, Mr. Duffy led the turnaround of what had been a charter

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school facing closure. Prior to that, Mr. Duffy was a founding board member of the

MATCH Charter High school in Boston, MA, which has been consistently named as one

of the top public high schools in the country by US News & World Report and

Newsweek, among others.

Rashaun Reid is the Chief Academic Officer at the Great Oaks Foundation. Mr.

Reid is responsible for the support of curriculum, instruction, and academic assessment

at Great Oaks. In partnership with the Executive Directors across the network, he

ensures the implementation of best practices and evidenced-based curricula and

monitors the academic progress of all schools in the network.

Beginning his career as an elementary school classroom teacher, Mr. Reid served in leadership roles as both an Assistant Principal and Principal for Public Charter

Schools in Philadelphia. During his tenure, he effectively turned around the academic

and culture performance of his schools, earning the designation of “model” school

status. He is a graduate of Temple University, holding a BS in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and an MS in Educational Leadership.

Rick Iandoli is the Chief Financial Officer of the Great Oaks Foundation. Mr.

Iandoli oversees all accounting, finance, budgetary, and payroll operations for the Great

Oaks Foundation and its schools. Mr. Iandoli joined the Great Oaks team with a wealth

of experience in charter school finance and business operations through his work as

Divisional Controller for EdisonLearning, where he managed a finance portfolio of 50

schools.

He is a Certified Public Accountant, having received a BS in Accounting from New York University Stern School of Business and an MS in Theology from The

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Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. Prior to joining Great Oaks, Rick was the Theology Chairperson at Saint Dominic High School where he taught grades 9-12.

Mike McGregor is the Chief Operating Officer at the Great Oaks Foundation. Mr.

McGregor oversees the Foundation’s real estate, development, and marketing initiatives

and supports school-based operations. Prior to joining the Great Oaks team, he worked

as a tutor and humanities teacher and served on the instructional and operational

leadership teams at Match Charter Public High School in Boston, where he first saw the

impact individualized instruction and mentoring can have on students’ academic and

personal trajectories. Mr. McGregor earned a BA in American History from the

University of Pennsylvania and an MBA with a concentration in Finance and Real Estate

from Columbia University.

Melissa Frank is the Director of Talent and Recruitment at the Great Oaks

Foundation. She is responsible for the recruitment, onboarding, and administrative

hiring efforts for the Foundation and schools across the Great Oaks network. Her work

focuses on the hiring and onboarding of teachers, administrators, and members of the

Great Oaks Tutor Corps. Before joining Great Oaks, Ms. Frank was Regional

Recruitment Manager at Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL). She is a graduate

of the State University of New York and the University of Texas-Arlington.

Monica T. Brown is the Director of Development at the Great Oaks Foundation.

In this role, Ms. Brown oversees development operations for the Great Oaks

Foundation. Her work primarily focuses on philanthropic investment for the Great Oaks

network. Additionally, Ms. Brown works closely with the President and Chief Operating

Officer on external affairs initiatives and special projects. Prior to joining Great Oaks,

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she served as Interim Director of Development and External Affairs at the Boys and

Girls Club of Harlem. She is a graduate of Jonson C. Smith University and Columbia

University.

Chris Pellegrino is Great Oaks’ National Tutor Corps Director. Mr. Pellegrino

leads the programming, training, and impact of the 270 members of the Great Oaks

Tutor Corps. Before joining the Great Oaks team, he worked as a Program Manager for

City Year New York, leading AmeriCorps members in serving students in high-need

public schools. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and holds an MS in Public

and Non-Profit Administration from New York University’s Wagner School of Public

Service.

Vanessa Ceas is the Director of Finance and Human Resources at the Great

Oaks Foundation. In this role, Ms. Ceas is responsible for managing HR policies and

supporting all finance operations throughout the Great Oaks network. She has

extensive experience working with both district and charter school finances, and she

holds a degree in Accounting from Johnson & Wales University.

Key School Staff

Jared Taillefer is the Founding Executive Director of Great Oaks Legacy, where

his leadership has significantly increased academic achievement for the school’s low-

income students. Prior to leading GOLCS, Mr. Taillefer served as the Dean of Students,

Director of Development, and algebra teacher at the Match Charter School of Boston.

Mr. Taillefer is a graduate of Boston University. He was a member of the second Match

Tutor Corps before joining the teaching and administration staff at Match.

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Kenneth Schultz is the President of Finance and Operations at Great Oaks

Legacy. Before the merger with Great Oaks, Mr. Schultz was Executive Director of

Newark Legacy Charter School. Mr. Schultz, who has a background in law, joined the

education field ten years ago as Director of Operations at North Star Academy in

Newark. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Rochester and a joint

JD/MSW from Washington University School of Law.

Antonio Vance is the Executive Director of Great Oaks - New York City. Mr.

Vance earned his BS in Biology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and

his MS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. He began his teaching career

as a science teacher in Philadelphia, and is highly experienced with strategic planning,

curriculum and program development, and facilitating effective faculty interactions and

communication in a turnaround environment. Before coming to Great Oaks – New York

City, he spent five years as an Assistant Principal at Mastery Charter Schools. Mr.

Vance sets a high bar for his students and is not shy about his goal of creating a strong,

academically focused community of students who support each other and are invested

in their collective success.

Monica Maccera Fillpu is the Founding Executive Director of Great Oaks –

Bridgeport. With seven years of experience as Teach for America - Connecticut’s

Managing Director of Academic Affairs, Ms. Maccera Fillpu came to Great Oaks with a

wealth of education experience and deep connections in the community. Prior to her

tenure at TFA, she worked as an English Language Acquisition coach, a Bilingual

Programs Coordinator and a Spanish Literacy Coordinator – roles that have prepared

her to lead the school with a focus on serving ELLs.

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Kia Childs is the Founding Executive Director of Great Oaks – Wilmington. Ms.

Childs began her career as a Teach for America teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana.

She has worked at several high performing charter networks including KIPP and

Mastery Charter Schools, and previously served as the Dean of Students at GO-NYC.

Her experience at GO-NYC makes her uniquely qualified for her position. Ms. Childs

has deep roots in Wilmington, which allow her to connect with community- and faith-

based organizations such as the Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering (F.A.M.E),

the Christina Cultural Arts Center, Kuumba Academy, the Girls and Boys Club of

Claymont, DE, the Wilmington Urban League and the Resurrection Center.

(3) Sustainability of Great Oaks Charter Schools

By the end of the project period, all Great Oaks Charter Schools will run strictly

on the public revenue they receive and not rely on grant funding. Over the next five

years, we will continue to develop personnel and programmatic elements key to the

network’s sustainability. Foundation staff and school leadership will ensure smooth and

sustainable operations at our schools. Our focus on developing effective educators and

local partnerships will ensure the longevity of our model.

FOUNDATION STAFF: The Great Oaks Foundation supports each school’s fiscal,

operational, and academic functioning.

• Academics

The Foundation’s Chief Academic Officer oversees instructional, curricular, and

assessment practices across the Great Oaks network. He is responsible for:

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supporting and coaching Executive Directors; facilitating collaboration between

instructional leaders; driving curricular alignment and data-driven instruction; and

frequently assessing student progress, school culture and staff and parent

satisfaction and recommending actions to improve teaching and learning.

Throughout the project grant period, the Foundation will drive student achievement

through increased central office support for academics. In Spring 2017, we will hire a

Director of Teaching and Learning who will work with the Chief Academic Officer to

support teachers in the classroom and an Academic Associate who will manage

department logistics. Next year, we will further build out the team to include a

Director of Curriculum and Assessment. This individual will be tasked with

standardizing and managing assessments across our network.

• Finance To guarantee that our schools are financially viable, the Great Oaks Foundation

employs a Chief Financial Officer who has held finance leadership positions at

numerous organizations and is a Certified Public Accountant. The Director of

Finance is responsible for: creating and managing school budgets in conjunction

with each school’s Executive Director and Board; ensuring the careful management

and stewardship of all monies; providing regular reports on the financial health of the

school for the board; acting as point person for all auditing, banking, and lending

relationships; and establishing prudent resource controls and fiscal policies for each

school. The Chief Financial Officer is supported by the Director of Finance and

Human Resources, who manages HR policies and the dissemination of benefits for

the Foundation and its schools.

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• Facilities and Operations The Chief Operating Officer works closely with the President of the Great Oaks

Foundation to manage facilities procurement for all schools. The Foundation is in the

process of locating space to meet the demands of expanded enrollment. GO – BPT

has partnered with a developer to convert several abandoned factories into a facility

and housing that will serve as the long-term home for the school and the Great Oaks

Tutor Corps. The project is part of a multi-phase, $120MM development effort that

will revitalize Bridgeport’s West End. GO – NYC is exploring several options to

house its high school beginning in 2018, and our facilities team has engaged with

the entity that manages Governor’s Island to consider development opportunities on

this underutilized land off the southern tip of Manhattan. Beginning this fall, GO –

WIL will lease additional space in the Community Education Building, a world-class

public education facility in Downtown Wilmington. GOLCS has solicited design plans

for the further development of its current high school to accommodate the expanding

feeder pattern of multiple middle school campuses, including one located in the

Teachers Village complex in Downtown Newark.

The Chief Operating Officer also supports the schools’ Directors of

Operations in facilities maintenance and other school-based operations, including

student recruitment and Board management.

• Recruitment The Foundation’s Director of Talent and Recruitment is responsible for recruitment

across the Great Oaks network. She is supported by a team of three recruitment

associates and a department coordinator. Prior to this school year, the team

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screened resumes, conducted phone interviews, and ultimately hired 270 tutors from

a pool of nearly 3,000 applicants. Throughout the project period, the Foundation will

play an increasingly active role in recruiting excellent teachers. This will involve

networking, screening resumes, and hosting recruitment events to ensure students

are exposed to effective educators for the entirety of their Great Oaks experience.

The recruitment team will grow to support these efforts in coming years.

• Great Oaks Tutor Corps The National Tutor Corps Director oversees the training and professional

development of all Great Oaks tutors and supports each school’s Tutor Corps

Director in ensuring students receive high quality individualized instruction on a daily

basis. The Associate Director for AmeriCorps Programming manages compliance

efforts related to the $10MM grant provided by the Corporation for National and

Community Service to fund the service of 270 Tutor Corps Members.

• Development and Marketing

The Great Oaks Foundation’s Development team consists of the Director of

Development, President, Chief Operating Officer, and Development Associate. The

team is responsible for procuring philanthropic and programmatic investment from

individual, institutional, and government sources. The Foundation secured over

$4MM of contributions to Great Oaks Charter Schools during FY2016. While public

funds will increasingly sustain school operations, we will continue to develop an

already robust donor base to support teacher training, community development, and

other initiatives.

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Led by the Chief Operating Officer and Development Associate, the network’s

marketing efforts utilize press, social media, and print materials to cultivate a positive

public image. These initiatives will be bolstered by the addition of a Marketing

Associate this spring.

• Governance

Each of the four Great Oaks schools has its own board of trustees. The President,

CFO, and COO of the Great Oaks Foundation focus on the effective operation of

those boards as the governing bodies of their schools. This involves extensive

preparation of the agenda for each board meeting; rigorous vetting of prospective

board candidates; and professional development for board members on what it

means to be effective in their role. We use an online tool called Board on Track to

support our work in this area.

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: We are committed to developing school leaders from within

the talented pool of educators who currently work at Great Oaks and other high

performing charter schools. Kia Childs, the Executive director of Great Oaks –

Wilmington, serves as an example of the strength of this strategy. Prior to leading the

successful launch of GO – WIL, Ms. Childs served as the Dean of Students at our

school in New York City. Similarly, Jared Taillefer, the founding Executive Director of

Great Oaks Legacy, worked as a tutor, Development Director, teacher, and Dean at

Match, our sister school in Boston, before assuming his current role. We are cultivating

a new generation of leaders by placing effective teachers and administrators as

directors, team leads, and board members, as well as directing them toward

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Great Oaks Legacy Organizational Chart

Chief People Officer

Chief Academic Chief Academic Officer -STEM Officer - Humanities

Executive Director

Director of Strategy

credentialing and graduate school opportunities. Many of these individuals will ultimately

take on greater responsibility on their current campuses or transition to lead other Great

Oaks schools.

Great Oaks Charter Schools School Leadership Organizational Model

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School Organizational Chart11

President

Chief Operating

Officer Chief Financial

Officer

11 GOLCS has increased its executive leadership staff to accommodate for the high volume of students it currently serves and its planned expansion to three K-8 feeder patterns in Newark.

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TEACHER TRAINING: We intend to not only attract and retain high quality educators to

serve our students but also equip teachers with the skills they need to succeed in the

classroom. This entails the following initiatives:

• The Great Oaks Teacher Residency: Through a partnership with NYU Steinhardt,

Great Oaks Tutor Corps members can earn a Master of Arts in Teaching with a

specialization in secondary English, math, science or social studies. The program

offers a job-embedded immersion experience where Teacher Residents are

engaged full-time in schools as members of the Tutor Corps with robust,

consistent, and ongoing support provided by NYU faculty both online and in-

person. We intend for 50 tutors to graduate from the Teacher Residency during

the project period. Many of these individuals will continue to serve at Great Oaks

or other schools within our communities.

• Summer Preparation: Great Oaks is designing two summer training programs for

teachers that will restructure the onboarding process and prepare teachers for a

successful school year. First, we will conduct a two-day training for all teachers in

the network. During this time, we will concentrate on high-level concepts,

including the rationale for our model and our approach to learning. Teachers will

leave this training with a thorough understanding of the Great Oaks paradigm

and culture. Immediately following the two-day network-wide training, new

teachers will attend the Starting Strong New Teacher Bootcamp, a week-long

training that will prepare novice educators to enter our schools with tangible skills

for success in the classroom. Teachers will learn concepts ranging from how to

give clear directions and manage behavior to how to plan effective lessons. Our

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Chief Academic Officer is currently collaborating with internal and external

partners, such as Match Education, to fully develop the core content of both

training programs. By leveraging our partnerships and the expertise within our

network, we will be able to deliver a comprehensive and valuable experience to

our teachers.

• Ongoing Professional Development: The Great Oaks Foundation team will take

the lead role over the next year in generating and delivering ongoing professional

development to teachers. Led by our Chief Academic Officer, the team will create

a series of training opportunities that are responsive to teacher needs and ensure

all teachers are impactful during their time in the classroom. The Great Oaks

Foundation’s academic department will build specific sessions based on needs

identified during classroom observations. For example, if members of the

academic team notice that across the school students are struggling to

understand tasks set for them by their teachers, the team will create a

professional development session on giving clear directions to help teachers

build the skills they need to better communicate with students. COMMUNITY AND EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS: Great Oaks collaborates with

several renowned organizations to drive educational excellence and community

development across the network.

• NYU Steinhardt and the Relay Graduate School of Education enable Tutor Corps

Members to earn M.A.T. and teaching credentials and embark upon impactful

careers as educators.

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• Kunskapsskolan Education, a Swedish education organization that supports

schools throughout Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East, collaborates with

our schools to implement programming that emphasizes the importance of

student agency and goal setting.

• SkyRockect Educator Training has a track record of success working with a

diverse array of educators and is supporting our school leaders in instructional

coaching.

• Newark’s Teachers Village, Bridgeport’s Cherry Street Lofts, and Wilmington’s

Community Education Building are development projects which have provided

facilities for our schools and revitalized communities.

• Organizations such as New York’s Grand Street Settlement and the Boys and

Girls Club of Delaware provide our students with after-school and weekend

enrichment opportunities.

IV. Application Requirements

(a) Evidence of multiple schools

The Great Oaks Foundations operates four distinct charter schools, each with a

different school leader and authorizer. All schools are charters as defined by section

4310(2) of the ESEA. Each school is treated as a separate school by its authorized

public chartering agency and the State. Schools operated by the Great Oaks

Foundation include:

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School

Opening Year: 2011

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Grade Levels (SY16-17): Pre K - 12

Location: 24 Maiden Lane, Newark, NJ 07102

Charter Information: Charter authorized by the New Jersey Department of Education

Great Oaks Charter School - New York City (GO-NYC)

Opening Year: 2013

Grade Levels (SY16-17): 6-8

Location: 38 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002

Charter Information: Charter authorized by the New York State Education Department - Board of Regents

Great Oaks Charter School - Bridgeport (GO-BPT)

Opening Year: 2014


Location: 510 Barnum Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06608

Charter Information: Charter authorized by the Connecticut State Department of Education

Great Oaks Charter School - Wilmington (GO-WIL)

Opening Year: 2015


Location: 1200 North French Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 Charter Information: Charter authorized by the Delaware Department of Education

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(b) School Information

See Appendix G for Great Oaks Charter Schools student assessment results and

attendance, retention, suspension, and expulsion rates.

(c) Compliance

No significant compliance issues have arisen for Great Oaks Charter Schools.

(d) Logic Model

Inputs Outputs Short-Term

Outcomes (by end of Year 1 and annually)

Mid-Term Outcomes (by project end)

Long-Term Goals

300+ college graduates to serve as Great Oaks Tutor Corps members and provide high- dosage tutoring*

150+ effective teachers

Central office staff to provide academic, operational, and financial support

Community partnerships that mutually benefit Great Oaks Charter Schools and the surrounding communities*

Four Great Oaks schools will be expanded over the next five years.

2,921 students will enroll in a Great Oaks school in the fall of 2017.



4,041 students will enroll in a

80% of students will demonstrate 1.5 years of growth in Math and ELA per year OR demonstrate grade level skill by year end.

Average daily attendance will be 95%.

95% of families will indicate satisfaction with school programming.

90% of teachers will

75% of students in Grade 8 will demonstrate proficiency on state mandated Math and ELA exams.

80% of students who enter Great Oaks high schools will graduate from Great Oaks Charter Schools in four years.

95% of graduates will take the SAT or ACT prior to graduation.

90% of graduates will take at least one

75% of Great Oaks graduates will earn a Bachelor’s degree within 6 years of college matriculation.

Great Oaks Charter Schools will generate evidence to prove the fiscal and operational sustainability of the use of high-dosage, in-school tutoring to improve academic and life outcomes.

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Training to promote effective instruction, curriculum development, and instruction, including through Great Oaks’ partnership with NYU Steinhardt

Facilities that enable sound, effective learning environments

Furniture, fixtures, and equipment to encourage learning and promote student growth*

Great Oaks educational program, designed to help educationally disadvantaged youth succeed in college and beyond*

Great Oaks school in the fall of 2020.


Beginning in SY17-18, additional students will enroll in Great Oaks Charter Schools that are equipped with the staff, facilities, and programming necessary to prepare them for college success.

Each student will receive ~150 hours of tutoring per year.

indicate satisfaction with school climate, leadership, staff-family relationships, and staff- leadership relationships.

80% of teachers will be retained year-to-year.

AP exam prior to graduation.

70% of graduates will be deemed college- ready based on the College Board’s college readiness SAT benchmark: a score of 480 in Reading and Writing and a score of 530 in Math.

70% of graduates will pass at least one Advanced Placement Exam.

95% of graduates will be accepted to and enroll in a 4-year college or university.

50 Great Oaks Tutor Corps members will earn a Master of Arts in Teaching through the Great Oaks Teacher Residency at NYU Steinhardt.

The Great Oaks Foundation will develop and cultivate an ecosystem of highly effective educators to serve the communities in which Great Oaks Charter Schools operate.

*Activity directly funded by Charter School Program Grant.

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(e) Educational Program

The Great Oaks Foundation’s Theory of Change is that if we implement a

rigorous high-dosage tutoring model and excellent classroom instruction, students will

become college-ready, as evidenced by standardized state test scores, college course

matriculation during high school, SAT and AP scores, and admission to a four-year

college or university. The ultimate indicator of the efficacy of our programmatic

approach will be college graduation. Great Oaks schools serve students in Grades Pre

K – 12, with a focus on Grades 6 – 12.

To help our students achieve college success, we have developed an

educational program with the following core components:

Unrelenting Focus on College Readiness: Great Oaks schools prepare

students to graduate from college by holding them to exceptionally high academic

standards. According to USDOE researcher Clifford Adelman, “The academic intensity

of the student’s high school curriculum still counts more than anything else in pre-

collegiate history in providing momentum toward completing a bachelor’s degree.”12 In

addition to concentrating on academic preparedness, Great Oaks schools decorate

classrooms, offices, and hallways with college paraphernalia to make sure that students

never lose sight of their goal. Trips to college campuses, financial aid planning, and

ongoing academic support equip students and families with the knowledge and tools

needed to graduate from college.

Individualized Instruction: To ensure that students can meet our high

academic standards, every Great Oaks student receives at least two hours of

12

Adelman, Clifford, “The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School Through

College,” U.S. Department of Education.

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individualized tutoring every day delivered by our full-time Tutor Corps. The Tutor Corps

is a one-year AmeriCorps program for recent college graduates who work full-time at

our school as tutors. The Tutor Corps is highly competitive, attracting top students from

Ivy League institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, large public

universities, and small liberal arts colleges. Over 3,000 individuals applied for 270 Tutor

Corps positions last year. A recent study examining the average correlation between

inputs and reading and math effectiveness, measured in additional months of schooling,

demonstrated that high-dosage tutoring is the single most effective strategy for

improving student outcomes (equivalent to .93 months of additional schooling per month

of tutoring).13 Across our schools, we have also seen that when students feel that

teachers, tutors, and administrators are genuinely invested in their success, it results in

stronger student engagement, improved family partnerships, a decrease in disciplinary

issues and lower student attrition rates. Great Oaks actively recruits tutors who are

fluent in the predominant languages spoken in the communities where we operate

schools, ensuring that ELLs have access to bilingual one-on-one or small group

instruction.

Data-Driven Instruction: Great Oaks schools utilize the highest-quality interim

assessment tools, including the NWEA MAP and A-Net, to provide a dynamic,

externally validated picture of our students’ growth and areas for improvement.

Additionally, daily “Exit Ticket” mini-assessments provide teachers and tutors with

immediate feedback on student understanding of daily objectives. In preparation for

three of our schools’ expansions to high school, we are exploring options to ascertain

13

Fryer, Roland, “Learning from the Successes and Failures of Charter Schools,” Hamilton Project

Discussion Paper 2012-06, Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2012.

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and develop subject-specific interim assessments aligned to the SAT and AP exams,

including those used by Uncommon Schools and Match High School in Boston. All

teachers and tutors are provided frequent time for data review in order to improve

instruction. Studies have shown that using data to drive instruction is one of the key

charter school practices found to raise academic achievement.14

More Time on Task: The Great Oaks school day and year is significantly longer than those of district schools. Our school day generally runs from 8:00am-4:00pm (two

hours longer than the average district middle school), with additional enrichment

opportunities from 4:15pm-6:00pm. Additionally, students whose grades and

assessment results indicate that they are at risk of falling behind attend Saturday

School and stay after school for additional, targeted tutoring, and three of our campuses

conduct a mandatory Summer Academy for students who have failed one or more

classes. Research conducted by Harvard economist Roland Fryer demonstrates that

increased instructional time is another key predictor of success.15

Character Development: We recognize that graduating from college requires

character and maturity. Nationally, just 8% of Americans in the bottom income quartile

hold college degrees by age 24. For our students to overcome the odds, they will need

to develop traits such as perseverance, courage, and discipline. We actively develop

character traits through a school culture that reinforces these core values. The highest

performing charter networks in the country, including KIPP, Achievement First, and

Uncommon Schools count character development among their key values.

Furthermore, we have partnered with Kunskappskolan Education, an organization that

14 Ibid.

15 Ibid.

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manages schools across the globe, to integrate a curriculum that emphasizes student

self-agency and goalsetting into Great Oaks programming.

Relationships: At Great Oaks schools, Executive Directors, teachers, and tutors

engage in at least weekly individual parent outreach. We consider this to be so critical

that we hold tutors accountable using a call log system. Multiple student orientations,

Open Houses, and events celebrating students’ academic and personal success ensure

that parents are always aware of what’s happening in the school. Parent committees

guarantee that parents have a systematized way of providing feedback and influencing

the ongoing development of the school. We have seen that student success is

contingent upon a community of support. Such a community includes teachers, school

leaders, tutors, students, and – crucially – families. Nevertheless, we recognize that

there are households where an engaged parent may not provide leverage. Great Oaks’

program is premised upon succeeding even without the additional support of engaged

parents.

The overarching goal of the proposed project is to significantly expand four high-

performing schools. Five-year student performance targets include:

• 75% of students in grades 6-8 will demonstrate proficiency on state mandated

Math and ELA exams.

• 80% of students who enter Great Oaks high schools will graduate from our

schools in four years.

• 70% of graduates will earn a score of 480 in Reading and Writing and 530 in

Math on the SAT.

• 75% of graduates will pass at least one Advanced Placement Exam.

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• 95% of graduates will be accepted to and enroll in a 4-year college.

In the long-term, 75% of Great Oaks graduates will earn Bachelor’s degrees

within six years of college matriculation. This goal is ambitious, and it dwarfs the

unacceptable 8% college graduation rate of low-income minorities, as well as rates

produced by nationally-renowned networks such as KIPP and Achievement First that

serve similar student populations. However, we believe we have established and will

continue to cultivate the programmatic elements necessary to bring this goal to fruition.

Roland Fryer’s research demonstrated that Great Oaks’ key practices are highly

effective: “[T]o better understand what features of charter schools are most effective in

raising scholastic achievement, we examined evidence from New York City charter

schools, where we identified five educational practices that are proving most successful:

(1) focusing on human capital, (2) using student data to drive instruction, (3) providing

high-dosage tutoring, (4) extending time on task, and (5) establishing a culture of high

expectations.”16 The ability of our model to prepare students for college success has been affirmed by Great Oaks Legacy Charter School, where seniors performed in the

90th and 84th percentile in Math and ELA in New Jersey last year and 100% have gained

admission to a four year college or university.

The core components of our educational program are supported by the high

quality curricula utilized at our schools. Curricula vary slightly from school to school,

given variances in State law and requirements. We have drawn on the design approach

of other high-performing charter schools, and our teachers employ data-driven practices

to align and refine their curriculum with Common Core Standards and State

16 Ibid.

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Frameworks and, ultimately, the SAT and Advanced Placement exams. Directors of

Curriculum and Instruction, Principals, and Executive Directors support teachers in this

endeavour, and all Great Oaks schools provide significant time for planning and

professional development. Next school year, the Great Oaks Foundation will hire a

Director of Curriculum and Assessment to bolster our teachers’ curricular practices.

We readily admit that neither we nor anyone else has developed an infallible approach to developing curriculum for educationally disadvantaged students, and we continuously

assess our methods and adapt when necessary. For example, after determining our

ELA tutoring model was falling short in bringing struggling readers to grade level, we

implemented the Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention, a program

designed to turn struggling readers into successful readers with engaging, leveled

books and systematically designed lessons. This effort has proven effective thus far as

evidenced by student performance on F&P benchmark assessments.

The criteria used by all schools to select curricula include:

• Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English language arts and

mathematics and the State Frameworks for all other areas of study;

• In high school, aligned to the SAT and Advanced Placement exams

• Researched-based or field-tested;

• Easily adaptable for ELLs;

• Sufficiently flexible to serve learners of varying abilities;

• Include assessment tools; and

• Engaging and relevant to students

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(f) School Management System

Though each Great Oaks Charter School holds its own charter and is governed

by an independent Board of Trustees, all schools have entered into services

agreements with the Great Oaks Foundation. Through these agreements, the

Foundation assumes responsibility for the schools’ educational outcomes and supports

their management and operation in conjunction with the Boards. School Boards of

Trustees are responsible for overseeing the Services Agreement, monitoring interim

metrics of success, and supervising Executive Directors with the Great Oaks

Foundation’s advice and counsel.

The Great Oaks Foundation supports its schools with academic, recruitment,

human resources, operations, finance, development, and professional development

services. The Foundation’s activities are intentionally designed to enable school leaders

to focus on what will drive academic success: student learning and school culture.

Over the past several years, the Great Oaks Foundation has increased its

oversight of its schools. While a lean central office team was highly effective during

startup years, we have learned that a more robust staffing model with rigorous supports

is necessary for the expansion of our schools. To that end, the Foundation is adapting

best practices from other Charter Management Organizations and drawing from our

experiences over the last five years to strategically expand central office staffing. This

expansion allows us to engage more deeply with the schools, supporting their growth

and ensuring all students – and especially educationally disadvantaged youth –

graduate from our schools prepared to succeed in college.

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The Organizational Chart below illustrates our plan to build out our operations

over the next three years. Of key importance is the addition of three staff members in

the Academics department: The Director of Teaching and Learning, who will support

classroom instruction at all schools; the Director of Curriculum and Assessment, who

will help schools make data-driven decisions and develop curricula that lead to student

growth; and the Academic Associate, who will increase the department’s capacity to

effectively impact schools.

Great Oaks Foundation Projected Organizational Chart

President

Director of Talent and Recruitment

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Academic Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Talent Associate

Director of Finance and Human Resources

National Tutor Corps Director

Director of Development

Talent Associate Human Resources Coordinator (FY20)

Associate Director of AmeriCorps

Programming

Development Associate

Talent Associate Director of Teaching and Learning (FY18)

Marketing Associate (FY18)

Talent Associate

(FY19) Academic Associate

(FY18)

Launch Coordinator

(FY19)

Talent Associate

(FY20)

Recruitment Coordinator

Director of Curriculum and

Assessment(FY18)

Operations Associate

(FY20)

See Section III(d) for more details on the role of the central office in school

operations.

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(g) Continued Operation of Charter Schools

At capacity, all Great Oaks Charter Schools will run strictly on the public revenue

they receive and not rely on philanthropic dollars to balance their books. Our financial

model is unique because of outlays made to support the tremendous value added to our

schools by the Great Oaks Tutor Corps. Corps member stipends are currently funded

by a 3-year, $10MM grant provided by the federal AmeriCorps program; however, our

schools fund housing and other costs related to Tutor Corps operations.

The individualized instruction provided by tutors has enabled us to slightly

increase our class sizes and generate more per pupil revenue. To ensure that we make

the most out of this revenue, Great Oaks supports higher than average salaries to

attract teachers who have demonstrated expertise in teaching educationally

disadvantaged students. Experienced teachers provide the highest caliber classroom

instruction and have the skills and experience to leverage tutors outside of the

classroom. Current research suggests that small class sizes do not have an outsized

positive effect on student achievement. According to a summary of research conducted

by the Brookings Institution, “Effects on student achievement related to differences in

teacher quality are very large… [Our study] demonstrates long-term effects for class-

size reduction [and] produces estimates of much larger effects for variation in teacher

quality within schools. Thus, for example, while differences between large and small

classes in early elementary school had no long-term effects on the earning power of

adults, differences in classroom quality did.” 17

17 “Class Size: What Research Says and What it Means for State Policy”,

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2011/5/11%20class%20size%20whit ehurst%20chingos/05 11_class_size_whitehurst_chingos.pdf, 2011.

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2011/5/11%20class%20size%20whit

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The Great Oaks Foundation has a track record of successfully fundraising from

private sources. While our schools will be fiscally self-sustaining by the end of the CSP

Grant period, we will continue to fundraise in the interim to support our expansion. See

Section III(d) and Appendix H for information on the sustainability of Great Oaks Charter

Schools.

Private Contributions to Great Oaks Charter Schools, FY15-FY17

Funding Source FY15 FY16 FY17

Louis Calder Foundation $200,000*

Longwood Foundation $500,000 $500,000

Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation $200,000 $275,000 $260,000

Public Square Partnership $300,000*

Rodel Foundation of Delaware $60,000

Welfare Foundation $75,000 $50,000

Anonymous Foundation $100,000

Individual Donors $200,000 $150,000 $100,000

Total $1,535,000 $1,025,000 $410,000

*Indicates multi-year funding

(h) Parent and Community Involvement

Great Oaks Charter Schools are committed to engaging community members

and parents in the ongoing development of our schools. From launch through day-to-

day operations, we have actively sought opportunities to collaborate with local

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stakeholders to support community-driven initiatives. For example, in Newark, Great

Oaks served as a founding partner in Teachers Village, a development project designed

to foster economic growth and increase educational opportunities for the children of

Newark. In New York City, we partner with local nonprofits to bring a variety of services

to our students and their families. In Bridgeport, we are collaborating to transform a

neighborhood of abandoned factory buildings into a vibrant community hub and custom-

designed school. In Wilmington, Great Oaks is housed in the Community Education

Building, a former Bank of America property in downtown Wilmington that has been

converted to educational use.

All Great Oaks schools are committed to engaging parents and ensuring that they have influence on the ongoing development of the school. Parents are encouraged

to participate on parent committees and at school board meetings. In addition to

connecting parents to opportunities to influence the direction of our schools, we also

ensure they are consistently informed of their children’s day-to-day progress. Regular

reports and weekly phone calls keep parents apprised of ongoing academic and

behavioral progress. Parents have access to PowerSchool, an online system where

they can monitor students’ grades, homework completion, and other data in real-time.

Each quarter, parents receive a formal report card that details their children’s progress

along with recommendations for how they can help. Parent-teacher conferences are

held after each report card is issued to give parents and teachers the opportunity to

connect in-person.

Lastly, we seek to engage parents as members of our communities through

events that celebrate student achievement and interests at school. For example, this

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year at GO – NYC, over 90% of parents have attended events such as Honors Night,

basketball games, and Goal Setting Day.

(i) Student Recruitment Procedures

Recruiting and retaining at-risk populations – specifically, students with a history

of behavioral and social difficulties, students identified as requiring special education,

and students who are ELLs – requires extra attention and effort to engage those

families who may not be willing or able to seek out new school options or who may be

uncertain of their eligibility for a charter school. Great Oaks has encountered success

on this front: the average number of applications for admission to Great Oaks has been

three times greater than the number of seats we have available each year.

Student recruitment begins in October every year. Great Oaks schools send out

mailings; place radio ads; meet with clergy members about visiting churches; canvass

the community; and distribute applications and information in public libraries, community

centers, and agencies that work with students. All materials are printed in English,

Spanish, and other languages that are spoken in the communities in which we operate

schools. We hire bilingual staff to speak with families about our schools and contract

with translators as needed.

Our objectives include not only recruiting diverse student bodies, but also

retaining those students through graduation in an effort to prepare them for college. As

with any public school, whether district-run or charter, we expect students to exit and

enter our school as their families move or as they choose to enroll in other schools that

better meet their needs.

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In order to be successful at retaining students, particularly those who enter the

school at risk of academic failure, Great Oaks schools must build trust with students and

their families. One building block of that trust is robust communication home about how

each student is faring in school. Parents receive regular phone calls from teachers and

tutors. Great Oaks schools send home weekly progress reports and, at the end of each

trimester, any student who is in danger of failing a course is required to participate in a

parent-teacher conference. By taking the initiative to engage families in their children’s

academic progress, we avoid the end of the year surprises that create student attrition

at many other charter schools.

If we are successful at increasing academic achievement in the middle school

grades, students who receive scholarships to private high schools may choose to leave.

However, we believe that the level of individualized attention provided at Great Oaks

coupled with the schools’ intensive focus on building relationships with students and

their families creates the kind of bond that encourages families to stay at our schools,

particularly as the schools prove themselves over time.

Both GO-NYC and GO-BPT are focused on recruiting and serving ELLs. ELLs in

our communities are vastly underperforming their native English-speaking counterparts.

Therefore, both schools employ additional strategies for recruiting these students. For

example, GO-NYC and GO-BPT conduct a lottery weighted to encourage the

enrollment of ELLs, an intervention permitted by New York and Connecticut State law.

The primary challenges in recruiting ELLs are language and communication

challenges and different cultural expectations. To overcome these challenges, GO-NYC

and GO-BPT:

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• Take the time to learn about the cultures and needs of the ELL families in the

community

• Connect with community groups that serve specific immigrant communities

• Advertise in families’ native languages, including creating school recruitment and

lottery materials in English, Spanish, and other predominant languages

• Understand that written materials are not always enough and place phone calls

to ELL families

• Hire bilingual staff members who can help answer families’ questions and fill out

paperwork

• Utilize ELL families who are already part of the school community to be

spokespeople for Great Oaks.

• Find community interpretation services for lower-incident languages Lottery: Great Oaks schools are open to all students as space permits. Our schools in

New York City and Wilmington enroll students who are entering the 6th grade. Great

Oaks Legacy accepts students into all grades PK – 12, and Great Oaks – Bridgeport

enrolls new students in grades 6-12.

GOLCS partakes in a district-run lottery system (see description below). At GO-

NYC, GO – BPT, and GO - WIL, hold their own randomized lotteries. The lottery is

overseen by an objective third party and follows the guidance issued by the federal

government under the Charter Schools Program. Specifically, each complete

application received during the application period is given an applicant number. Schools

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then use a computer program to draw the applicant numbers in a random order and

enroll each applicant drawn until all vacant seats are filled.

Lottery preferences vary slightly across schools in accordance with State law and

whether the school is focused on serving ELLs. Detailed lottery preferences for each

school are outlined below:

Great Oaks Legacy: Great Oaks Legacy participates in Newark Enrolls, a universal

enrollment system through which families can access schools in Newark, whether

district or charter.

The Newark Enrolls process asks each family to rank their school choices. If a

student applies to a school that has more seats than applicants, s/he will be matched to

that school. If there are more applicants than seats available at a school, the district

uses a lottery to assign those seats to the students who apply and first fills seats with

students who:

1) Have a sibling at the school

2) Live in the neighborhood

3) Seek special education services only available at the school

If a student is not accepted into their first school choice, they are placed into their

highest ranked school that has seats available.

Great Oaks – New York City: For each new cohort, preference for enrolling new students each year is as follows:

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1. Siblings of enrolled students: All siblings of students who are entering 6th grade

are granted automatic admission to Great Oaks schools.

2. Students who reside in Community School District 1: Seats are filled by randomly

selecting from the pool of applicants who live in the school’s home district.

3. ELLs: Additional seats are filled by random selection from the pool of students

whose families indicate on their application that their Home Language is other

than English or that the applicant received ELL services at his/her previous

school.

4. All other applicants who reside outside of Community School District 1: If there

are remaining seats after we screen for the aforementioned preferences, they are

filled by random selection from the pool of students who live outside of the home

district.

Great Oaks – Bridgeport: For each new cohort, preference for enrolling new students each year is as follows:

1. Siblings of enrolled students

2. ELLs who reside in Bridgeport

3. Students who reside in Bridgeport

4. All applicants who reside outside of Bridgeport

Great Oaks – Wilmington: For each new cohort, preference for enrolling new students each year is as follows:

1. Siblings of enrolled students

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2. Remainder of applicants

All applicant families are made aware at the time of application that the waiting list

will only be in place for the upcoming school year and that they will have to resubmit an

application in the next year’s enrollment period if they wish to be considered for the

following school year. If spaces become available, we call the first name on the in-

district waiting list up to 3 times at each contact number given on the application to

inquire if the family still wishes to enroll at Great Oaks. If the family is not interested or

we are unable to contact them after a good-faith effort, we move on to the next name on

the waiting list and proceed in the same fashion until we are able to fill the vacant seat.

(j) Complying with IDEA

All Great Oaks schools are committed to preparing students to succeed in

college. In line with our educational philosophy, this means preparing every student for

success – including those who require a range of special education supports and

related services – through high academic and behavioral expectations, a strong focus

on building relationships, and a highly individualized academic program. Our

commitment to relationship building and our low student to adult ratio uniquely positions

us to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

All students, regardless of disability, fully participate at Great Oaks in accordance

with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If a student arrives with an IEP or

504 plan previously created, we provide the necessary accommodations. If the creation

of an IEP or 504 plan becomes necessary for the student to have full and equal access,

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the school seeks guidance from the appropriate authority to create the plan and enact

its provisions.

Great Oaks schools employ Special Education Directors or Coordinators (an

individual who is a certified Special Education Teacher), and we will expand our Special

Education staff to serve an increasing population of students with disabilities. The

Special Education Director or Coordinator manages all the special education work of the

school, including liaising with the district, working with parents to keep them informed

and obtain the required consent for IEPs, holding accountable any external service

providers with whom the school contracts, and acting as an advocate for students with

IEPs and 504 Plans.

A School Counselor is, in addition to other duties, responsible for delivering

counseling services per students’ IEPs. A School Nurse delivers services required by

students in their IEPs or 504 Plans. Although we cannot predict the specific service

requirements of the students who enroll at all of our schools, we will continue to meet

the needs of all students in accordance with all state and federal laws and regulations.

Classroom adaptations generally include, but are not limited to:

• Push-in services by the Special Education Teacher

• Indirect counseling in which the Special Education Coordinator meets one-on-

one with the general education teacher

• Co-Teaching in which the Special Education Coordinator and general education

teacher are both delivering instruction

• Additional tutoring

• Counseling

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Under the supervision of the Special Education Coordinator, Great Oaks schools

may contract with certified or licensed individuals and/or organizations to provide other

services required by students’ IEPs, such as speech/language pathology and

audiologist services; psychological services; physical and occupational therapy;

recreation, including therapeutic recreation; early rehabilitation counselling; orientation

and mobility services; and diagnostic and/or evaluative medical services. In some

cases, home districts either reimburse the school for Special Education services or

directly provide certified or licensed staff, and we collaborate with the district to ensure

the provision of services.

Special Education staff and service providers support classroom teachers, work

in the general education classrooms with special education students individually and in

small groups, provide resource room services, and serve as special education

consultants to the overall school community. Special Education staff ensure that the

teachers, tutors, and administrators are knowledgeable about the needs of students

with disabilities and are informed about their responsibilities to implement modifications

for particular students. Every teacher of a student with a disability is provided a copy of

the student’s IEP and corresponding information, training, and support from the Special

Education Coordinator ensures their understanding of the student’s needs and their

responsibilities.

The Tutor Corps plays an important role in supporting students with disabilities

by offering one-on-one tutoring and support. This level of individualized attention (at

least two hours per day of tutoring with a 1:1, 1:2, or 1:3 tutor to student ratio) helps

students with IEPs meet their IEP goals and build strong relationships with caring

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adults. Furthermore, tutors build relationships with the families of students with

disabilities through weekly phone calls home.

Finally, all Great Oaks schools provide any and all testing modifications required

by an IEP or 504 Plan that are permitted for the standardized State exams. A child’s

Planning and Placement Team (PPT) indicates on the plan what testing

accommodations he or she requires.

(k) Supporting Acadmeic Mastery of Educationally Disadvantaged Students

See Section III(b) for a description Great Oaks Charter Schools’ efforts to support

educationally disadvantaged students.

(l) Use of Grant Funds

Please review the project budget and attached budget narrative for detail on how

Great Oaks will spend Grant funds. Great Oaks will coordinate activities and resources

supported by CSP Grant funds with activities and resources supported by other Federal

programs administered by the Secretary. Other funds available include Title I and Title

IIA. Title I funding will be used to provide direct instruction to at-risk students. Title IIA

funding will be used for professional development.

(m) Waivers

Not Applicable. The Great Oaks Foundation does not request waivers.

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